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McClellan Misled on Climate Science Censorship: Watchdog

June 18, 2008

Need another reason not to go through the "press office?" Try reading the transcript from the White House briefing of June 8, 2005, the day Andrew C. Revkin of the New York Times broke the story of White House editing of climate science documents.

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan faced a barrage of questions that day — although the incident was not mentioned in his book, "What Happened." Now making talk-show rounds, McClellan says in his book that the truth and full information were frequent casualties in the White House press operation.

There is considerable uncertainty among experts over whether any true information — or any information at all — emerged from McClellan's mouth that day. The relevant transcript, still available at the White House, was thoughtfully reprinted by whistleblower Rick Piltz, whose resignation over political manipulation of science brought the whole matter to light. It's on his Web site, ClimateScienceWatch.org.